The U.S. government has a permanent and, until recently, growing reliance on contracts with the private sector for a wide range of services. For the past six years, the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group (DIIG) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)...

For the past decade, accession to the European Union (EU) has become both the journey and the final destination for peace and democracy in the Western Balkans. EU political and economic engagement in the region has had a profound and positive influence, from encouraging the...

As budgetary pressures rise across the government, leaders at every level are reexamining every expenditure. This is particularly true for leaders in the Department of Defense (DoD), which represents the single greatest share of the government’s discretionary...

The deadline for the “Super Committee” to reach a deficit deal is rapidly approaching, with the cost of failure being devastating cuts in national security funding. The Joint Chiefs have testified to the dramatic effects of these immediate cuts and Secretary...

In the immediate aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Dominican Republic launched a massive cross-border emergency assistance mission, providing critical medical assistance, logistics support, and humanitarian aid. In so doing, the Dominicans served as...

The US faces hard decisions in the Afghanistan/Pakistan War that are growing steadily harder as the time before transition runs out, the US faces growing budget pressures, and the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan becomes more unstable. The Burke Chair has prepared a...

Since Ma Ying-jeou assumed the presidency in 2008, relations across the Taiwan Strait have improved dramatically. In the past three and half years, 16 agreements have been signed on practical matters that have largely benefited the people on both sides of the Strait....

Between November 29 and December 1, 2011, the major donors and most recipients of foreign assistance, together with various multilateral organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), consultants, and others will gather in Busan, South Korea, for the Fourth High Level...

The passage of the Budget Control Act (BCA) has broad implications for every program and agency that is funded through the Federal budget process, but consequences for the American defense and national security apparatus are both unique and important to analyze. A...

Iran’s potential acquisition of nuclear weapons and the ability to arm its missiles and aircraft with such weapons represents the most serious risk that shapes US, Arab, Israeli and other international perceptions. It is an area in which the exact details of threat...

Over the past decade Chinese investment flows to the United States have grown rapidly. These increased flows have brought with them domestic concern that China’s investments are strategic moves by the Chinese government to acquire U.S. natural resources and technology...

No one can ignore the short-term problems the political upheavals in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia create for each country. New leaders must be chosen and security systems must be changed. The problems involved can kill political, economic and demographic reforms before they...